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Smart Grid
Introduction In the United States and many other countries, modernization of the electric power grid is central to national efforts to increase energy efficiency, transition to renewable energy sources, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and build a sustainable economy that ensures prosperity for current and future generations. Around the world, billions of dollars are being spent to build a smart electric power grid, referred to as the Smart Grid. While the terminology varies from country to country, all notions of an advanced power grid for the 21st Century hinge on adding and integrating many varieties of digital computing and communications technologies and services with the power-delivery infrastructure. Modernizing the current power grid through the computerization and networking of intelligent components holds the promise of a Smart Grid infrastructure that can — * Deliver electricity more efficiently; * Provide better power quality; * Link with a wide array of energy sources in addition to energy produced by power plants (such as renewable energy sources); * Enable self-healing in cases of disturbance, physical and cyber attack, or natural disaster; and * Provide consumers, and other individuals, with more choices based on how, when, and how much electricity they use. Communications technology that enables the bidirectional flow of information throughout the infrastructure is at the core of these Smart Grid improvements, which rely upon collated energy usage data provided by smart meters, sensors, computer systems, and many other devices to derive understandable and actionable information for consumers and utilities. Definition The Smart Grid As described in the July 2009 Smart Grid System ReportU.S. Department of Energy, Smart Grid System Report (July 2009) (full-text). from the U.S. Department of Energy: Characteristics of the Smart Grid Under the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA),Pub. L. No. 110-140, tit. XIII. the creation of a Smart Grid is a national policy.Id. §1301 ("It is the policy of the United States to support the modernization of the U.S.'s electric transmission and distribution system to maintain a reliable and secure electric infrastructure that can meet future demand growth and achieve the goals that together define a Smart Grid.") Distinguishing characteristics of the Smart Grid, as cited in the Act include: * Increased use of digital information and controls technology to improve reliability, security, and efficiency of the electric grid; * Dynamic optimization of grid operations and resources, with full cybersecurity; * Deployment and integration of distributed resources and generation, including renewable resources; * Development and incorporation of demand response, demand-side resources, and energy-efficiency resources; * Deployment of "smart" technologies for metering, communications concerning grid operations and status, and distribution automation; * Integration of "smart" appliances and consumer devices; * Deployment and integration of advanced electricity storage and peak-shaving technologies, including plug-in electric and hybrid electric vehicles, and thermal-storage air conditioning; * Provision to consumers of timely information and control options; and * Development of standards for communication and interoperability of appliances and equipment connected to the electric grid, including the infrastructure serving the grid. The Department of Energy has stated: To monitor and assess progress of deployments in the United States, the Department of Energy is tracking activities grouped under six chief characteristics of the envisioned Smart Grid:U.S. Department of Energy, Smart Grid System Report (July 2009). * Enables informed participation by customers; * Accommodates all generation and storage options; * Enables new products, services, and markets; * Provides the power quality for the range of needs; * Optimizes asset utilization and operating efficiently; and * Operates resiliently to disturbances, attacks, and natural disasters. Interoperability and cyber security standards will underpin component, system-level, and network-wide performances in each of these six important areas. The framework described in the EISA reflect several important characteristics. They include:Quotes in the bulleted list are from the EISA §1305. * that it be "flexible, uniform and technology neutral, including but not limited to technologies for managing smart grid information" * that it "accommodate traditional, centralized generation and transmission resources and consumer distributed resources" * that it be "flexible to incorporate regional and organizational differences and technological innovations" * that it "consider the use of voluntary uniform standards" that "incorporate appropriate manufacturer lead time." What the Smart Grid is not Devices such as wind turbines, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and solar arrays are not part of the Smart Grid. Rather, the Smart Grid encompasses the technology that enables us to integrate, interface with and intelligently control these innovations and others. The ultimate success of the Smart Grid depends on the effectiveness of these devices in attracting and motivating large numbers of consumers. Communications and spectrum policy Many communications and networking technologies can be used to support Smart Grid applications, including traditional twisted-copper phone lines, cable lines, fiber optic cable, cellular, satellite, microwave, WiMAX, power line carrier, and broadband over power line, as well as short-range in-home technologies such as WiFi and ZigBee. The Smart Grid applications that might be built on such communications technologies include home area networks (HAN), and networks for wide area situational awareness (WASA), enhanced substation supervisory control and data acquisition systems (SCADA), distributed generation monitoring and control, demand response and pricing systems, and charging systems for plug-in electric vehicles. An efficient Smart Grid requires spectrum capacity to support the broadband communications infrastructure required to operate the grid. A Smart Grid policy that presumes the availability of suitable spectrum for wireless connections could fall short of its intended goal unless spectrum policy is aligned. The Utilities Telecom Council (UTC) has published a report that argues for shared access to 30 MHz of spectrum at 1800-1830 MHz to meet wireless communication needs.Utilities Telecom Council, The Utility Spectrum Crisis: A Critical Need to Enable Smart Grids (Jan. 2009).http://www.utc.org/utc/utility-spectrum-crisis-critical-need-enable-smart-grids This band is currently allocated to federal users. Canada is in the process of a rule-making procedure that would make the 1800-1830 MHz band available for “electrical infrastructure;”Gazette Notice SMSE-008-08, June 7, 2008.http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/smt-gst.nsf/eng/sf08971.html operating smart grids on compatible frequencies would facilitate cross-border management of power sources. Reportedly, the FCC will include recommendations for Smart Grid development as part of the National Broadband Plan. Recommendations could include ways for utilities to share federal spectrum bands.Paul Barbagallo, “FCC Official Says Broadband Plan To Have Smart Grid Recommendations,” Daily Report for Executives (Jan. 25, 2010). Security concerns In its broadest sense, cyber security for the power industry covers all issues involving automation and communications that affect the operation of electric power systems and the functioning of the utilities that manage them and the business processes that support the customer base. In the power industry, the focus has been on implementing equipment that can improve power system reliability. The operation and control of the current power grid depends on a complex network of computers, software, and communication technologies that, if compromised by an intelligent adversary, have the potential to cause great damage, including extended power outages and destruction of electrical equipment. A cyber attack has the unique attribute that it can be launched through the public network from a remote location anywhere in the world and coordinated to attack many locations simultaneously. Efforts by the energy sector to uncover system vulnerabilities and develop effective countermeasures so far have prevented serious damage. With the Smart Grid’s transformation of the electric system to a two-way flow of electricity and information, the information technology (IT) and telecommunications infrastructures have become critical to the energy sector infrastructure. Therefore, the management and protection of systems and components of these infrastructures must also be addressed by an increasingly diverse energy sector. To achieve this requires that security be designed in at the architectural level. Risks to the grid include: * Increasing the complexity of the grid could introduce vulnerabilities and increase exposure to potential attackers and unintentional errors; * Interconnected networks can introduce vulnerabilities; * Increasing vulnerabilities to communication disruptions and introduction of malicious software that could result in denial of service or compromise the integrity of software and systems; * Increased number of entry points and paths for potential adversaries to exploit; * Interconnected systems can increase the amount of private information exposed and increase the risk when data is aggregated; * Increased use of new technologies can introduce new vulnerabilities; and * Expansion of the amount of data that will be collected that can lead to the potential for compromise of data confidentiality, including the breach of customer privacy. In addition, the Smart Grid has additional vulnerabilities due to its complexity, large number of stakeholders, and highly time-sensitive operational requirements. A traditional IT-focused understanding of cyber security is that it is the protection required to ensure confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the electronic information communication system. For the Smart Grid, this definition of cyber security needs to be more inclusive. Cyber security in the Smart Grid includes both power and cyber system technologies and processes in IT and power system operations and governance. These technologies and processes provide the protection required to ensure confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the Smart Grid cyber infrastructure, including, for example, control systems, sensors, and actuators. Under the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA), NIST and FERC were to take the following actions: * NIST was to coordinate development of a framework that includes protocols and model standards for information management to achieve interoperability of smart grid devices and systems. As part of its efforts to accomplish this, NIST planned to identify cybersecurity standards for these systems and also identified the need to develop guidelines for organizations such as electric companies on how to securely implement smart grid systems. In January 2011,Electricity Grid Modernization: Progress Being Made on Cybersecurity Guidelines, but Key Challenges Remain to be Addressed. the GAO reported that NIST had identified eleven standards involving cybersecurity that support smart grid interoperability and had issued a first version of a cybersecurity guideline.See NIST Framework and Roadmap for Smart Grid Interoperability Standards, Release 1.0 and Guidelines for Smart Grid Cyber Security. * FERC was to adopt standards resulting from NIST's efforts that it deemed necessary to ensure smart grid functionality and interoperability. Privacy See Smart Grid - Privacy Considerations. References External link * Smart Grid. See also * Smart Grid Advisory Committee * Smart Grid Data: Must There Be Conflict Between Energy Management and Consumer Privacy? * Smart Grid domain * Smart Grid Information Clearinghouse * Smart Grid Interoperability Panel * Smart Grid Interoperability Panel–Cyber Security Working Group * Smart Grid - Privacy Considerations * Smart Grid risk assessment * Smart Grid Task Force Category:Technology Category:Electric Category:Definition Category:Smart grid